In The Ring Sequel Rings, Technology Changes, but Scary Little Girls Do Not

The Ring can be credited for a lot of things: scaring an entire generation of middle schoolers, being memorable enough to merit a Scary Movie spoof, and most important, kicking off a deluge of Japanese horror remakes. The Ring, based the 1998 Japanese film Ringu (itself based on Koji Suzuki’s 1989 book of the same name), sparked a wave of like-minded projects, including The Grudge (based on the 2002 film Ju-on) and Dark Water, which was a remake of the 2002 project by the same name. All of this is to say, no one should have expected this franchise to die after just one sequel in 2005. Indeed, a new Ring sequel is headed our way this year—and now we have the first trailer.

Like the first film’s iconic little girl in the well, Rings is crawling back into theaters to terrify audiences once more. But it’s also giving the franchise a major update: it seems this movie is going to wickedly play with the idea of a “viral video,” as that little girl, Samara, finds a whole new host of victims on the Internet. (Oddly enough, she still calls people on their corded-phone landlines—which they apparently still have.) There's no indication yet on whether she can crawl out of computer screens, but we can all hope those are off-limits. . . right?

Naomi Watts, who starred in both The Ring and The Ring Two, will not be involved this time; neither will David Dorfman, who played her son Aidan. Instead, Samara will be hunting fresh blood: Johnny Galecki (late of Big Bang Theory, but, lest we forget, also a member of the I Know What You Did Last Summer cast) and Lizzie Brocheré (Grace Bertrand in American Horror Story Season 2) are both listed on the film’s IMDB page, although neither appears in the trailer.

At this point, it seems clear that the franchise is behaving like a purely American property. The first wave of Japanese horror remakes generally followed the original’s philosophy of restraint and psychological terror: sure, some special effects were used, but for the most part, the films avoided the over-the-top approach in favor of the power of implication. But given a few shots from this trailer, including one scene in which it appears Samara is messing with airplane TV monitors, we should probably expect things to get a little wackier in Rings—and, perhaps, a tad over-produced. Samara on a Plane, anyone?

Rings was initially expected to hit theaters last November, but Paramount moved its release date to this year. The film will now hit theaters in seven days. Well, actually, on October 28—just in time to scare a whole new generation on Halloween.

Jennifer Lawrence in House at the End of the Street

Before Lawrence nabbed the Oscar (and the collective adoration of the universe) for her performance in 2012’s Silver Linings Playbook, she played the new girl in town opposite the requisite deranged child. Horror ensues.

Nicolas Cage in Wicker Man

Cage won the Academy Award for best actor in 1995 after he played an immitigable alcoholic in Leaving Las Vegas. He would launch a thousand memes 10 years later, exclaiming, “Not the bees!” in a remake of the British thriller The Wicker Man.

Susan Sarandon in The Hunger

While her seminal role in The Rocky Horror Picture Show technically falls within the genre, Sarandon’s appearance in The Hunger (opposite who else but David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve) rivals even Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s horror camp. She would later win the Oscar for her performance in Dead Man Walking.

Jennifer Lawrence in House at the End of the Street

Before Lawrence nabbed the Oscar (and the collective adoration of the universe) for her performance in 2012’s Silver Linings Playbook, she played the new girl in town opposite the requisite deranged child. Horror ensues.

Nicolas Cage in Wicker Man

Cage won the Academy Award for best actor in 1995 after he played an immitigable alcoholic in Leaving Las Vegas. He would launch a thousand memes 10 years later, exclaiming, “Not the bees!” in a remake of the British thriller The Wicker Man.

Julia Roberts in Mary Reilly

Generally associated with heartwarming characters and dramatic turns alike, Roberts has largely steered clear of horror in her career, with the exception of the 1996 take on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, wherein she plays the unassuming assistant who discovers her boss’s rather unfortunate secret.

Photograph from Getty Images.

Colin Firth in Apartment Zero

Before King George VI, Mr. Darcy, and Mark Darcy, Colin Firth played a slightly less sweet character in *Apartment Zero. *

Photograph from Everett Collection.

Hilary Swank in The Reaping

Following her nuanced performances in 1999’s Boys Don’t Cry and 2004’s Million Dollar Baby, Swank battled broader threats in this biblically creepy film.

Susan Sarandon in The Hunger

While her seminal role in The Rocky Horror Picture Show technically falls within the genre, Sarandon’s appearance in The Hunger (opposite who else but David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve) rivals even Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s horror camp. She would later win the Oscar for her performance in Dead Man Walking.